Friday, May 14, 2010

Dorky Great Horned Owl

On this morning's bird hike through Hull's Grove Karyn and I discovered some great birds. The highlight of the day was finding a recently fledged Great Horned Owl chick trying to balance on a power line. His/her three siblings were comfortably in a tree just 30 yards away. According to an employee of the foothills learning center, this chick was still in the nest yesterday. It apparently made it out of the nest and to the wire, but no further. We watched for an hour as it tried to get up the nerve to take the next leap. We eventually left him/her there to face the challenge alone.

Great Horned Owl.

Great Horned Owl.

Great Horned Owl.

Great Horned Owl.

Other great discoveries of the day included a Pied-Billed Grebe on a nest in the upper pond. There was be in the lower pond for a few years, but this is the first we have seen in the upper. His/her mate was fishing nearby.

2 comments:

Nice pictures! My GH Owlets have been venturing into neighboring trees. I expect them to work their way up the draws soon. I hope the long-tailed weasels don't get any of them before they are able to defend themselves.